Time's not running out?
by NewBornBaby
Summary: A one-shot Muse fanfiction. Matthew Bellamy suddenly realises that his girlfriend came from the future. Enjoy!
1. Sneak Peak

**Hello there, wonderful Musers!**

**SO... Like I said in the summary, this is a one-shot Muse story. BUT, it's also sort of a... 'trailer'. Because I plan to write a full-length story about it. But I want to finish 'This Feeling Of Pure Freedom' first, before really starting this one (and so it won't be before a while...).**

**What I've written under there is not the beginning of the story, it happens right in the middle but since I've had it in my mind for a while, I wanted to write it down.**

**Just so you can understand: Matt has entered his living room and he sees his girlfriend...in double. There's his girlfriend and next to her, the clone of his girlfriend. And then the 'clone' disappears in a flash.**  
><strong>I've written through the POV of his girlfriend, Liane, and just before the chapter begins she's realised that Matt has seen all of it.<strong>

**(If you've already read it and you're re-reading it, you may notice that I've changed some of the dates, 'cause they didn't match with the rest of the story.)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Matt, please...let me explain..."<p>

I gulp past the lump in my dry throat with difficulty and take a step closer to him. But he is slowly backing off, and he looks more and more terrorised.

"Wha- Was it- Is there- What the... Just... _How?"_

He looks at me then, demanding explanation. He's face is a mask of distrust and incomprehension. Again, I try to take a step closer to him but his hands flash up in front of him, stopping me.

"DON'T COME CLOSER!"

I feel my heart breaking. I'm losing him. I may have already lost him. I try one more time...

"Matt, please, don't be afraid of me...I'll tell you everything..."

He cuts me off, "are you an alien? !"

...

Of ALL the things he could have asked, he chose that question. I guess I should have seen it coming...

I frown, doing my best to look offended, "NO! Of course not! I'm 100% human for Christ's sake!"

He seems to relax a little but he still holds his hands before him for protection...and there's still at least five or six yards between us.

"Then explain just...what the fuck I've just witnessed!" he says, regaining some confidence.

I nod eagerly, "of course, I..." But how can I tell him? He's going to think I'm completely crazy! Or that I'm a freak...that I'm worse than a monstrous, deceiving alien...

I'm trying to speak up but I keep opening an closing my mouth in turn, feeling more and more desperate. The air begins to hiss through my throat everytime I breath in and water fills my eyes. I close them and the tears roll down my cheeks as I begin to sob.  
>While I'm trapped in my own hell of misery I suddenly dimly register that his arms are around me, that he's overcome his mistrust for me and that he's trying to comfort me. He's gently pulled my face against his chest and he's softly stroking my hair.<p>

"Shhh...calm down...calm down..." he murmurs in my ear.

I cling to him and sob harder than ever, finally letting out all the tension, the stress, the anxiety that have been consuming me since I've decided not to tell him.

After a time my crying subsides a little and I'm just leaning against him, laboriously breathing into his neck. He then wraps one of his arm under my knees and lifts me against him to carry me to the sofa, on the other side of the room. He sits on it, with me on his lap, and he pulls away from me a bit, so that he can look at me in the eye.

He sighs and gently sweeps away a remaining tear on my cheek before speaking again. "Tell me. Use the simpliest words you can find. Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me."

It's my turn to sigh now as I run a hand on my face and then in my hair. I'm feeling so tired... "It's such a long story..."

He gives me a small, encouraging smile. "I've got time and an opened mind. Just start at the beginning."

I slightly smile back. I really don't deserve him... I heavily sigh again, "okay. Hum...about three years ago- the day I turned 22 to be precise- I was involved in...a deathly car accident."

He raises an eyebrow. "Deathly?"

'_God, he's going to think I'm a ghost now..._' "I _should_ have died. But I didn't. I miraculously didn't. I basically wrecked my car off a cliff. But I don't even remember crashing into the sea..." And that's when the crazy part begins...

He gently squeezes my waist, "go on."

I wince a bit but I manage to find the courage to continue, "I- I woke up...on...an island..."

His cornflower colored eyes widen. "Oh my God, just like in 'Lost'!" he breathes.

I can't help but chuckle. "Mmmm...not exactly. There were no polar bears on this one," I point out, smiling. He looks very interested and attentive now. "You see this island...it was in a sort of a...parallel univers." I've said the last part in a rush and I'm holding my breath now, waiting to see how he's going to react.

He nods, eyes sparkling. Obviously, he wants to know more. "I spent some time on this island and I realised that I could...travel through time and space." Again, rush and pause. I've decided to skip the 'Imp part'. I'm keeping it simple. Just like he's asked.

His mouth drops open as a result.

'_Oh no...he's gonna try to put me in a mental hospital now..._'

Matt doesn't say anything for a while, but he frowns and seems to be deep into thoughts. I'm really begining to worry. "Matt?"

He looks up at me then. "So...it means that the 'other you' that I saw...it was in fact you. From another time."

Relief washes over me, "yes! Exactly!"

'_Thank God he's so intelligent and understanding..._'

"But was it your past of your future?"

"It was my past."

He frowns again. "So you knew this would happen?"

"No," I answer, shaking my head. "No, I didn't. While my...'past me' and I were talking to each other we didn't know you were in the house... When she- I mean, I...when the _past me_ jumped in time again she didn't know that you'd been watching us all along and that you would be asking about it..."

He nods again, understanding. But suddenly I feel his body tense beneath me.

"What? What did I say?" I waver, worried again.

He stares at me for a few seconds, visibly shocked, and then he shoves me off his lap, making me panic.

'_That's it. He can't take it any more, he's gonna run!_'

He stands but doesn't run. Instead, he looks down at me. "When I was five..." he starts.

My heart painfully thumps against my ribcage. '_Oh God... He can't...he can't actually remember that...can he?_'

"...I remember...I remember seeing someone who looked a lot like you do now...that train...she saved me. It was you. _You_ saved me," he almost accuses me.

I stand in turn, "Matt, I _had_ to! I tried not to...I tried not to interfere with your life but I had to! If I hadn't been there with you, you would have lost your hand! The train was about to crush your fingers when I saved you. And no fingers, means no guitar, no piano, no music!"

"How old are you?" he suddenly asks, deadly serious.

"I'm...I'm 25. You know that. Why are you asking..."

His hand rises up to cut me off. "Wrong question. _When_ were you born? I want the year."

I gulp. "Well?" he insists when I'm not responding.

I mutter a barely audible: "1985."

"Excuse-me?"

"1985," I repeat a bit louder.

His eyebrows shoot up with astonishment and he lets out a hollow laughter. "1985? !" he squeaks. "It means you're..._seven years_ younger than I! I'm 23...you should be 16. God, this is creepy..."

I huff, feeling a little bit annoyed. "Matt...don't be silly. I _am_ 16 right now. I'm in France right now. In a high-school in Provence to be precise. And the 16-year-old me doesn't know that all this is going to happen. But _I_, _me_, the 'me' who's in front of you right now, that 'me' is 25."

He stares at me with big, round eyes for a second and then he slumps down on the leather couch again. "This is really complicated..." he moans.

I snort, "yeah, I know..." I almost add 'told you so!' but I reconsider at the last second and shut my mouth. He's hidden his face in his hands and it kills me to see him like that.

I kneel down before him and lay my hands on his lap. "Matt... Baby, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," he answers, his hands muffling the sound of his voice.

"What can I do?" I despair, my own voice twisted by anguish and guilt.

He sighs behind his hands before dropping them to his sides. His eyes are almost closed at first and his face's empty of all emotion, but then he looks up and stares accusingly at me. "You never left me a choice, did you?"

I stand up again, hit full force by his glare. "What do you mean?"

He stands up too and- almost threateningly- walks towards me, forcing me to back off. "You muscled in on my life, getting to me when I was too young to be able to resist you. You forced yourself into my mind and my heart, leaving me no choice but to fall for you!" His voice is venomous and each word of accusation is another stab in my heart.

He is hurting me deeper than he ever has before but my pain soon turns into anger. "I never _forced_ myself on you! All I ever did was helping you! When you really met me for the first time you were 21. Don't tell me that's too young to be objective!" I spit out, holding my finger up before his eyes to mark my words.

His face is stricken with false incredulity and a dark sneer comes out of his lips. "The _first_ time I _really_ met you?" he says slowly. His voice is low, but it feels scarier than yelling. "Do you just know for how _long_ I've been dreaming about you? About that woman, that 'angel' who'd come out of nowhere to protect me and then who'd disappeared again? ...And you've been keeping tabs on me."

I open my mouth to reply but he overtakes me, "I remember everything. There's no point in denying. All those times you came and watched over me, I saw you. I used to think you were my guardian angel...and when I saw you on that beach two years ago...I thought you were the one, the true, the only woman in my life because you looked like her. How could I have guessed this was all a creepy...unnatural..._machiavellian_ machination of yours? !"

That's the last straw. My eyes swell with tears again. Tears of _rage_. "How_ dare_ you!" This time he's the one walking backwards. I'm so mad that I don't even recognize my own voice. "How dare you accuse me of this when _you_ forced yourself in _my_ heart in the very beginning!"

He stops retreating then and snorts, "what? 'Cause the crazy fan girl, that you probably were, had a crush on the famous singer?"

Without asking for permission, my hand rears back to deliver a resonant slap across his cheek, hard enough to make my palm sting. The sound echoes in the room and we both freeze. I can hear his heavy breathing but I can hardly see him, my sight is blurred by the tears.

"You..." I try to speak but my voice breaks. "The first time _I_ met you... I knew nothing about you...but you...you...you ran to me! ...Acting all lovey-dovey...telling me you missed me...telling me you _loved_ me... How was I supposed to resist that... Huh? ! How? !"

I've never allowed myself to be such a mess in front of anyone before...but he's being so unfair, I can't control myself right now. My knees are growing weak and I'm afraid I'm going to faint. My chest is being crushed by some invisible weight and points of light flash before my eyes...

*-X-*-X-*-X-*

It appears I _have_ fainted...since I'm waking up in our bedroom right now. I'm lying on my back, over the covers, staring at the ceiling. I sigh and rub my eyes, feeling a bit nauseous.

Suddenly I feel him besides me. I turn my head to the side and sure enough, he's here, lying on his left side and watching me. For a long moment we just gaze into each other's eyes...sharing more than we could ever have during our previous 'conversation'.

The blueness of his eyes appeases me, albeit there're so many strong emotions streaming in them right now. Worry, pain, guilt, sadness, forgiveness, desire, love...

He slowly approaches me, as if he's afraid he's going to scare me away, and crawls over me before burying his face in the hollow of my neck. I run a hand in his raven hair as an answer and pull him close.

Now that he's confident I'm not going to bring him down, he slowly travels kisses up my neck to my jawline, sending shivers down my spine. I turn my face to meet him and he captures my mouth with his, sliding his tongue across my bottom lip, causing mewling sounds to rise from within my throat.

And that's how we forgive each other. By loving each other.

*-X-*-X-*-X-*

We're both lying under the covers now, snuggling into each other's arms. The tips of his fingers slowly brush up and down my back, my collarbone, my arm, my cheek...it's the most pleasant sensation in the entire world.

"Liane...?" he murmurs.

"Uhumm?" I almost moan, not opening my eyes.

He seems hesitant, "can I ask you something?"

I open my eyes then and cup his cheek in my hand, "of course you can..."

"It's about what you said earlier... About me, being all lovey-dovey while you don't know me...I don't understand. How is that possible?"

I sigh, "I don't know how much I can tell you..."

He quietly laughs, "what? Is it like in 'Back to the Future'? Are you afraid you're gonna destroy the universe if you tell me?"

It's my turn to chuckle now. "Well...it _is_ about your future...so, if I tell you it may change things...I don't know..."

He pouts a little and shifts around me, to pull me even closer to him, if that's possible... "Pleeeeeease?" he whines, eyelashes batting. I can't help but smile as I stare into his big baby blue eyes...how could _anyone_ resist that?

I sigh again as I keep on smiling and his pout breaks into a grin. He already knows he's won.

"Alright, I'll you tell a bit. Hum...er, let's just say that one of the first jump in time that I made was to..." I start blushing madly as I know what comes next...

"Was tooooo...?" he inquires, raising an eyebrow.

"Er...to...well...see Muse in live. That's it." I turn round on the bed, not wanting to face him with my crimson cheeks.

He giggles and wraps his arm around my waist, clasping me to his chest. "Aaannnnd...?" he sensually whispers in my ear.

"And nothing. I've told you enough," I mumble, trying _not_ to shiver.

"You've told me nothing..." he breathes. This time I can't help shuddering when he starts tracing the shell of my ear with his tongue.

"God...you can be so pushy sometimes!" I wail.

That makes him chuckle again. "That's why you love me," he states. I snort, "certainly not!" He sighs then, his patience coming to an end.

"If you don't tell me..." I tense, waiting for the threat, "...I won't kiss you for the rest of the day." I relax then. He's not capable of it.

"Okay," I lightly answer as I extract myself from his arms. He stares at me a bit agape while I wrap myself up in my dressing gown, not paying any attention to him.

I hear him mutter something when I leave the room and I head toward the kitchen to make hot chocolate, 'cause there's nothing better than chocolate after love. In my peripheral vision, I can see him leaning against the doorframe, having dressed up a bit himself.

When the microwave rings I take my mug and sit on the kitchen counter, watching him stare at me. After five minutes of I-won't-be-the-one-to-look-down-first, he eventually turns round and leaves the room but not before calling back to me.

"Okay. Don't come whining in an hour."

*-X-*-X-*-X-*

_An hour later..._

I'm sitting on the couch, legs folded in front of me, eating home-made popcorn. And of course Matt is sitting on the other side of the couch. Staring at me... just like he's been constantly doing for the past hour.

I hear him huff every now and then but it's only making me smirk and I keep gazing at the TV screen, not once glancing in his direction. The telly's sound is really low and I'm making the popcorn creak loudly in my mouth...just because I know it's annoying him.

When the TV show I've been watching finally ends, I pick up the remote and start zapping through the channels. Zap, zap, zap, zap, zap, zap, zap, zap,...

"That's it," Matt states, after the 15th zap or so, before suddenly grabbing the remote and sending it flying to the other side of the room.

"Hey!" I complain, scowling at him.

For all answer he seizes my ankles and pulls me sharply towards him, causing me to scatter popcorn everywhere. I feebly try to wrestle him off but he soon has me pinned on the couch below. No matter how slim he may look, every time I struggle against him it's always kitty vs. tiger. Me being the kitty of course.

"Tell me," he demands, looking fierce.

"What?"

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"You perfectly know."

"Know what?" I'm starting to giggle.

"Liane..." he threatens.

"Liane wha-" but before I can finish my sentence his lips crush mine, shutting me up. I eagerly kiss him back, locking my arms and my legs around him. Meanwhile his hands have gotten to my lower back and he pulls me in, at the same time as pushing his hips down against mine.

Given the turn of events, I'm guessing it's going to be much more than just a kiss...

*-X-*-X-*-X-*

"So...are you going to tell me yet?"

I sigh and roll my eyes. He's just SO stubborn...he's not going to stop harassing me until he gets what he wants. I sit up a little and rest my head on my hand so that I can look at him, since his head is lying near my feet and vice versa. He sits up in turn and the blanket slides down his chest a bit. Distracting sight...

"Liane?"

I snap out of my daze and sigh for the umpteenth time.

"There's not much to say," I finally give up. "I wanted to see one of your gigs and you eventually noticed me backstage...and then- Well, I already told you, you came to me and you acted like you already knew me, you said that you missed me and that you loved me."

He raises an eyebrow, "and that's it?"

I shrug, "yeah, that's it. I told you...I was surprised at the time because it was the first time I ever met you."

"When will that happen?" he asks, looking puzzled.

"Three years _ago_ for me, it will be in three years for you."

"2004 then?"

I nod. He lies down again, crossing his arms behind his head. "Where was it?"

"Huh?"

"The gig, where was it?"

I snort, "I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because there's no need. You'll see for yourself in three years."

It's his turn to snort now, "sweetheart, sorry to disappoint you, but I think we'll do more than just one gig in 2004. How am I supposed to know which one it'll be?"

"That's the whole point, Matt. You're _not_ supposed to know. The less you know, the better it is, believe me."

He huffs again but surprisingly leaves it there. Looking a bit distracted he takes one of my feet in his hands and begins playing with my toes. Thank God I'm not ticklish... "Was it good?" he suddenly asks.

'_What is he talking about? ...The sex?_' "Hum...what exactly?" I say, blushing.

"The gig," he answers, rolling his eyes once he's understood my trail of thought.

"Oh..." My blush darkens and I giggle like an idiot. "Hum, yeah...I mean, of course. It was absolutely brilliant. That's why I wanted to see this one first."

He frowns, "what do you mean? You'd already seen it?"

"Yeah, sure, tons of times, in video..." When I notice his forming grin I bit my tongue before I can say more.

"So it will be officially recorded...that's a big clue. Thanks hun'," he says, a self-satisfied smirk crossing his face.

'_Shit. I'm too chatty._'

We stay quiet for a while after that. I lie down again on the couch, enjoying my free foot massage, 'cause his fingers are not only agile when playing guitar or piano...they're gifted in _every_ domains...

"Liane?"

"MMMmmmm?"

"Where was it?"

My eyes snap open and I sharply pull my foot away from his hands. "Fuck, Matt! Stop insisting! I'm not going to tell you!"

He stares at me with big round eyes, visibly surprised by my reaction. "But..."

"There's no but! I _won't_ tell you where the gig will take place," I cut him off.

He pouts and crosses his arms on his chest. "I wasn't talking about the gig anymore," he grumbles.

My frown immediately smooth down. "Oh...what were you talking about then?" I sheepishly ask.

"Doesn't matter..." he mutters, still pouting.

I find myself smiling. He can be so cute when he's irritated. I slide under the blanket and crawl over him. I poke my head out on the other side and kiss his neck to apologize. He sighs but a small smile turns the corners of his lips up and his wraps his arms around me.

"Where was what, my love?" I ask with the most angelic voice I can manage.

His smile grows bigger at first but then his face turns serious. "Where was the accident?"

"Er...in France...why?"

"Where exactly?"

I frown, not understanding where the conversation is going, "in Bretagne..."

"Do you think you could show me? Exactly where, I mean."

I pull away from him a bit to study his face, "...I suppose I could, but...wouldn't it be a bit...morbid?"

He doesn't answer but squints a bit, staring into the the void.

"Matt? What do you have in mind?"

"Well,..." he pauses for a second, carefully choosing his words, "maybe if _I_ had an accident right in the same place...you know...maybe I would be able to jump in time too."

This time I sit on him, my mouth open wide. "WHAT? !" I finally exclaim.

He stares at me with an innocent, but a little bit worried, expression on his face. "What what?"

"What what? ! Are you crazy? !" I squeak. "You're basically saying you want to try and jump off a cliff to see if there's any chance that you would wake up with some superpowers!"

"And?"

I gawk at him for a couple a seconds again and then sit away from him, grabbing the whole blanket- and so leaving him to chill- to wrap myself up in it. "Matthew Bellamy, you are once and for all _completely_ insane," I state.

"But why wouldn't it work with me? It worked with you!"

"It's not the same thing! It was an _accident_, Matt! I didn't have a choice!" I glare at him, feeling more and more angry.

He sits up in turn, moving closer to me again. "Don't be mad...it's just...there're so many things I'd like to see..." He looks- and sounds- very sad but what can I do... I can't give him the location. Never.

Suddenly his face lights up with hope. "Hey, maybe...maybe we could try something else."

"I'm listening." Anything else would be better than _that_...

"Well," he's grabbed a corner of the blanket and he starts to wind it up around him, wanting some warmth, "you could try hauling me."

I knit my brows with worry, it could indeed be an alternative but the problem is...I've never tried it before.

"But what if I end up hurting you?" I say, my voice shaky.

"You won't hurt me. Why would you hurt me?" he answers gently, trying to reassure me.

"Why wouldn't I? I've never tried it before."

He's finally reached my skin under the blanket and he pulls me close, inside the safe cocoon of his arms. "You've surely transported objects before, haven't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Were they damaged afterwards?"

I sigh. "No," I admit. "But it's not the same thing, you're a living being..."

"Listen, it's simple," he says while laying kisses on my shoulder, "if you hurt me, but you won't, but if you do...then you'll just go back in time and prevent us from doing it. And...if you follow that thought, you can actually realise that it's not going to happen."

"...What?" I turn my face in order to frown at him in puzzlement but he uses the opportunity to lean in and seal his lips to mine. He kisses me slowly, skillfully... Once I'm completely at his mercy he pulls away again. My eyes flutter open to see him smiling at me, a happy, smug smile.

"Well, considering that there's no 'future you' in the room right now, to warn us about you hurting me... It means that you _won't_ hurt me." He grins, visibly pleased with himself.

I try to glare at him, without much success. I'm still far too sweetened by his kiss to be able to glare at anything right now.

"And _maybe_ there is no 'future me' in here...because we're not going to try it at all. And so there's nothing to be warned about."

He squints again. "Mm. I prefer my version."

Frowning again, I slowly start to shake my head but he cuts my intentions off. "Oh please, Liane? Can we at least try? Just try? Please? Please? Please, please, please, please, please,..." Each 'please' is of course punctuated with a kiss.

I bit my bottom lip, feeling myself giving in.

"I'll make a deal with you," I eventually state.

His head snaps up and he looks at me expectantly. "Yes?"

"We can try...BUT," I raise my hand to stay his answer when I see him beam, "...but you have to promise me never to ask questions about your future again. _And_, I'm not going to haul you into the future either. Past only."

The grin on his face is replaced by a small, serious smile. "Deal."

I immediately sigh and burry my face in my hand. '_What have I gotten myself into..._'

*-X-*-X-*-X-*

_The next day..._

I study my reflexion in the mirror and I shake my head. "Matt...this is never going to work."

He's standing next to me, dressed in exactly the same fashion than I. A plain brown workman suit, boots and a yellow plastic construction helmet.

"Of course it's going to work, I'm telling you, that's how they were dressed!" He backs off a little and sticks out his chest. "Don't I look like a dumb redneck?"

I chuckle. "Dumb, yes. Redneck, no."

He exhales and comes next to me again. "It's gonna be fine," he says, both hands gently grabbing at my shoulders. "And you know if something goes wrong you'll just carry us back in here in no time."

"Alright..." I sigh. I won't be able to change his mind now anyway. "So, you're sure about the location and the date?" I ask him for the third time.

He rolls his eyes but smiles. "Yes, I'm sure."

"How do you know all that anyway?" I wonder, raising an eyebrow as I read again the note he's given me this morning.

He just gives me a crooked smile. "I have my own little secrets."

My eyebrow goes even higher up but I don't investigate more. Surely one of his conspiracy theory books...

"So...how does it work?" he asks, looking excited.

"Hum...I guess you'll have to hold on tight to me."

He nods and wraps his arms around my waist firmly. Meanwhile I've locked my own arms around his neck.

"And please Matt, let me talk. I'm better at imitating the american accent than you are," I say as I pull him very close to me.

He just chuckles and nods again.

I close my eyes. '_This is it..._'

I take a deep breath in and mentally state, as clearly as I can:

'_4th of June 1954, Facility Eagle44, Building C... Area 51, United States of America._'

And then I feel myself being sucked into the void, in a way that has now become very familiar.

*FLASH!*

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaaaannnnnd...that's all you'll have for now. ^^<strong>

**I hope you've enjoyed and please, please, please, REVIEW. Tell me what you think about it. 'Hated it'? 'Loved it'? Too crazy? Too weird? Amazing (^^)? Good? Bad? It's your turn to write now. :-)**

**Have a lovely day (or night)!**


	2. update

Just a little update for the people who might have put this story into alert but not me on author alert (this is not a reproach lol).

I've started to write the full story, it's called 'Universal Traveler'.

Here's the link, for you lazybones: http:/www.[DELETE THE BRACKETS]fanfiction[DELETE THE BRACKETS].net/s/7572296/1/Universal_Traveler - (Though I think that clicking on my name and then on the story probably is faster than deleting the brackets ^^)

Thanks to the seven people who reviewed this one-shot by the way. It means a lot :)


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